The full version of the LiverpoolWorld Q&A.
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00:00 So, Will, looking at Liverpool and the title race this season,
00:04 I mean, it's so competitive at the top again.
00:06 Are Liverpool nearing Manchester City, the standards that they've set?
00:11 Can they sort of match that over the course of this season?
00:14 Because so far it's looking so good for them.
00:17 It is very competitive and obviously Liverpool have gone to Tottenham Hotspur
00:20 with City for a few seasons in the past, didn't keep up last campaign.
00:25 And I don't think anyone quite expects maybe Liverpool
00:28 to make this start of the season, maybe end of the season,
00:31 in this sort of form, the United 4s, when everything clicked together.
00:34 But I think even Jürgen Klopp and his coaching staff are surprised
00:38 by how well Liverpool are doing so far.
00:41 It's three points off the title, off the Premier League lead to Tottenham.
00:44 And you think back to that Tottenham game where it was riddles and controversy,
00:48 and Liverpool conceded a last-minute own goal.
00:51 It could well have been a two-point swing there if Liverpool had got a point.
00:56 Liverpool's main, I've said it all season, their main goal is to get back
01:01 into the top four, get back into the Champions League
01:03 and the revenue that brings with it.
01:05 But Liverpool's squad now is so deep.
01:08 They've got players who are capable of playing in the Premier League,
01:13 and then they've got almost a difference of 11 who are playing in the cup competitions.
01:16 That doesn't normally happen for Liverpool in the Champions League.
01:20 So, you know, we have this Thursday-Sunday thing that people say it hinders us,
01:25 but it's actually benefiting Liverpool so far.
01:28 And if they can keep ploughing away, if they get to Christmas,
01:30 then there's certainly a chance that they can keep it up after that.
01:34 Well, just looking at Darwin Nunes, obviously took the number nine shirt in the summer.
01:39 There was some controversy around that, whether he'd hit that form straight away.
01:43 He's getting there. He's looking a handful every week.
01:46 You know, the huge performance away at Newcastle is very memorable
01:50 for fans that aren't Liverpool fans.
01:52 But you see a lot of him. What can Liverpool fans expect?
01:57 And the rest of the Premier League, is he maybe becoming that force to be reckoned with now?
02:02 I think he is, yeah. I always was quietly confident that he could be,
02:07 just because last season he had so many chances.
02:10 And eventually you will turn those chances into goals,
02:16 unless you're a really, really poor finisher.
02:19 It will happen, but his record at Benfica was similar.
02:22 He had a tough first season. I think he scored six goals.
02:25 And then he lifted a touch paper in his second campaign.
02:28 And it's difficult for, you know, he had a lot that summer when he moved.
02:33 Haaland moved in the same summer, and then it was comparison strong.
02:36 And he was always going to take a little bit longer to click,
02:40 because we didn't have the same pathway as Haaland.
02:43 You know, Haaland was obviously at Salzburg and at Dortmund.
02:47 Salzburg, well, coach Dortmund are a real force.
02:50 And obviously he went to Manchester City.
02:53 And the plan was, we've seen last season, to play around Haaland.
02:57 I don't think that was quite it with Liverpool last season,
03:00 because obviously Mo Salah is the main man.
03:02 And it was a tough season for Liverpool.
03:05 Last campaign, we've seen how many players dropped off before.
03:08 We've seen how many players departed over the summer.
03:11 So he didn't arrive in easy circumstances,
03:14 couldn't speak any English at all, which didn't help him.
03:17 Jürgen Klopp maybe didn't quite know his best position either last season.
03:22 Tried him on the left, tried him in the middle.
03:25 He is a number nine for me, without a shadow of a doubt.
03:27 But towards the end of last season,
03:30 Jürgen Klopp was saying that the ticket into the team
03:34 was the way you press off the ball.
03:36 And obviously, Darwin Nunes, over the summer, has gone off
03:38 and really thought about that.
03:41 And that's helped him.
03:41 And I say now, he's not a real force.
03:44 He's forged a partnership with Mo Salah and Donoxer-Bosley
03:49 and gets six goals in 13 games so far for Nunes.
03:52 So just less than one in two, which is an outstanding record.
03:57 I think he'll be hitting 20, 25 goals without a shadow of a doubt this season
04:02 if he carries on that way.
04:04 Yeah, he's just looking more confident.
04:06 And even when he's missing chances, it's not letting him affect him
04:09 as much as it was last season, maybe.
04:12 The goal he scores against West Ham on the volley, superb finish.
04:17 But just before that, he missed a big chance.
04:20 And even to lose game, he's gone past the defenders
04:25 superbly round the keeper.
04:27 And then he hits the post.
04:29 Even Jürgen Klopp wasn't angry with him by that.
04:32 Maybe if it was last minute against Man City
04:34 and the game's 0-0 or you won 0-0, maybe his reaction
04:38 might have been a little bit different.
04:40 But even still, he's just showing that he's getting the chances.
04:44 And I can't really see him letting up any time soon.
04:49 I think the ceiling's so high for Darwin Nunes.
04:52 And there were plenty of detractors last season among Liverpool fans
04:57 and the outside football world.
04:58 People looking at that price tag and thinking, "Will Liverpool overpay?"
05:03 But this season, Liverpool have shown that Darwin Nunes was brought in
05:07 to be a long-term answer rather than a short-term solution.
05:12 And he carries on and up the curve.
05:15 And without a shadow of a doubt, he'll be up there
05:18 in the scoring chart in the Premier League this season.
05:21 And up next for Liverpool, Luton Town Away.
05:24 Obviously, Luton have come into this league
05:26 and they are celebrating every goal like it's a win at this point.
05:30 They maybe know that they are punching way above their weight to be there.
05:33 So how does Klopp approach this?
05:36 It's obviously a new stadium.
05:38 What are your thoughts going into this game?
05:41 I think a few fans will be looking forward to it.
05:44 Obviously, as you say, Liverpool have played there before.
05:46 I think the last time they were there was in the FA Cup.
05:49 It's been that goal where Xabi Alonso scored from the halfway line.
05:52 But Liverpool aren't going to underestimate Luton.
05:54 They know what they're in for.
05:56 They know they're going to be in for a real physical battle.
05:59 And Luton are going to make it so difficult for Liverpool.
06:03 Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahim Bakrana are going to have a real tough test.
06:09 Carlton Morris has proven a handful really as a Premier League striker.
06:13 And yet Liverpool, it's going to be a difficult pitch,
06:16 smaller pitch maybe than they used to.
06:19 They're going to get some knocks and bumps and bruises.
06:21 Are they going to be able to play the way they want?
06:24 Probably not.
06:25 They're going to have to maybe adjust.
06:26 And this might be a different test in itself to playing the top side.
06:31 These are some of the games that you look back on and think,
06:34 well, if you come the end of the season, that was a big result, wasn't it?
06:38 You didn't think it at the time.
06:39 But that was a massive result where we went to Luton and say,
06:42 who scores in the 85th minute?
06:43 Which, OK, you look at the two clubs, you can't really compare them, can you?
06:48 On a global stage, Luton are minnows, let's face it.
06:52 But as you rightly say, they're enjoying every kick, every goal that they're scoring.
06:58 And they want this to be a procession for Liverpool.
07:03 They'll be banged up for it as well.
07:04 All the players will be.
07:05 They might not ever play Liverpool again in their careers, potentially,
07:08 if Luton were to go back to Anfield and they didn't come back up.
07:12 So this is a proverbial, I don't want to say cliche,
07:15 but another cup final for them.
07:17 And Liverpool have just got to find a way to win.
07:21 They are in good form.
07:22 They go to Bournemouth in the Carabao Cup where I expect changes will be made.
07:26 Maybe some players will be rest because, yeah,
07:29 if there's something that Liverpool can express, it's going to be a real physical test.
07:34 Well, looking at Everton's form, especially away from home,
07:37 they've got the majority of their points this season on the road.
07:41 How do they sort of turn that into home form now?
07:45 Because you obviously have more fans, you have more of an atmosphere,
07:49 more of a toxic atmosphere if it goes wrong.
07:52 What are your thoughts on how well they've done away from home?
07:55 Because it was something they needed to improve on at the back end of last season as well.
08:00 Yeah, absolutely.
08:01 I think under Raf Binis Everton won once,
08:06 under Frank Lampard away from home, Frank Lampard won twice, I think,
08:10 Leicester and Southampton.
08:12 And now Sean Dyche, fair play to him, he's earned three wins on the road since he arrived.
08:17 One at Brighton.
08:19 Brentford now West Ham, which West Ham wasn't a classic game by any means.
08:24 If anyone's watched us in neutral, they'd say they probably would have turned off
08:28 because it wasn't a great display.
08:31 But Everton got the job done, professional.
08:34 The nullified West Ham's threat and they showed that they carried their own for us as well.
08:40 Dominic Calvert-Lewin obviously bouncing back to fitness
08:43 and really looking like the Calvert-Lewin of a few years ago under Carlo Ancelotti.
08:48 And yeah, I think maybe two-tapping a little bit more, playing away from home,
08:51 they have a bit less of the ball, they can hit teams on the counter.
08:57 And they have got to defend a little bit more.
09:00 Everton have got some real good defenders.
09:03 Those two at the back, Tarkovsky and Gerard Bramford,
09:07 have formed a real eye-catching partnership.
09:09 And Jordan Pickford, you know, another great save against West Ham.
09:12 You think of that one against Sheffield United where Everton had a 2-2 draw.
09:16 If you need to rely on your goalkeeper, then you can.
09:20 But yeah, as you rightly say, only one winner home so far.
09:23 That was Issa Bournemouth-Syde, who haven't made too many teams fear them so far.
09:31 And they got beated home by Luton.
09:35 Poor results, got beat at the start of the season by Fulham,
09:38 who were missing some players at that time.
09:40 Got beat by Wolves as well.
09:42 Fair enough, Wolves have picked up now, but at the time,
09:45 Wolves were at a real low ebb as well.
09:49 Theo didn't know what was going on with the financial situation
09:52 in terms of what players he might have been getting in.
09:54 It was an opportunity for Everton.
09:55 So yeah, Everton have shown signs now that they can avoid a relegation battle.
10:01 They're picking up results away from home.
10:03 If they turn around that form at home,
10:06 then I don't think anyone will have any doubts that Everton will be safe this season.
10:11 And obviously up next, the game after Guildhurst and Park Brighton,
10:15 a team that have lacked consistency at times this season.
10:19 How do they approach this one?
10:22 Well, we've just talked about Everton's away form, how much better it is.
10:27 And maybe this might play into Everton's hands a little bit
10:31 because they can play a little bit more on the back foot.
10:33 We know that Brighton like to get on the ball.
10:36 We know they like to take the game to teams.
10:39 And maybe that might help Everton.
10:40 Maybe they can play on the counter a little bit more.
10:44 It's a big game.
10:46 Before the international break, people were looking at this run of fixtures.
10:50 And you're looking at Liverpool, West Ham and Brighton.
10:53 Maybe not too many thoughts Everton might get anything out of it.
10:57 Maybe a point at West Ham potentially, because West Ham have been good for spells this season.
11:03 But look, they've got three points now.
11:05 Play Berlin, the Cowboy Cup.
11:06 If they win that, then I think that's five wins in seven for Everton.
11:10 They've got a little bit of momentum finally building.
11:13 Last time Everton really built any sort of momentum.
11:16 You couldn't really say that.
11:17 Probably maybe the start of last season under Frank Lampard.
11:22 Before that, the start of that under Rafa Benitez.
11:25 Yeah, look, Everton, they've shown, as I say, they can be tough to beat.
11:32 They've just got to make sure as well at home they're putting the chances away as well against Brighton
11:36 because they might be few and far between.
11:38 And Everton are home.
11:39 They have lots of cutting edge of times.
11:41 And you think back to that Fulham game and that Wolves game as well.
11:46 Luton, where they got beat 2-1, where they dominated the 30 minutes of Everton,
11:50 do come out of the blocks quickly.
11:53 Then they've got to take the chances against Brighton like they did against Bournemouth,
11:56 where they scored early on through James Garner, because Brighton will no doubt punish Everton
12:01 if they don't take the chances.
12:05 And yeah, you think to that meeting last season at Goodson Park,
12:09 around Christmas, New Year time, where it was just a harrowing loss for Everton.
12:13 It was just such an abject performance.
12:17 Well, the beginning of the end of Frank Lampard's really.
12:21 But this is a test.
12:23 If Everton come through this, they show that they can keep teams like Brighton at bay.
12:30 Let's not forget they went there in April and absolutely thrashed them, didn't they?
12:36 Brighton 5-1.
12:37 They were devastating on the counter-attack.
12:38 Maybe that will be in Sean Dighty's thinking.
12:41 But I dare say if Everton picked up a point on Saturday, would a lot of fans be disappointed?
12:47 Maybe not.
12:48 But the way they're going at the minute, there is a little bit of impetus that's building.
12:53 Fans will be demanding three points, but a point might be a bad result.